David Heiner, Microsoft"s deputy general counsel, said the company has had few takers for Windows XP N and Windows Vista N, noting that "not a single PC manufacturer has chosen to license" the special editions of its operating systems, which are available only in Europe. EU regulators ordered Microsoft to unbundle Media Player from some versions of Windows available for sale in Europe after charging that the bundling gave the company an unfair advantage over media player products created by third-party developers.
Heiner was speaking to FTC officials to urge them to adopt anti-monopoly measures that promote competition rather than restrict consumer choice. The EU"s decision to order Microsoft to strip out its own media player technology from some versions of Windows has hurt both Microsoft and its European customers, Heiner said. "Costs have been imposed, but there is little apparent benefit for anyone." In his comments to the FTC, Heiner blasted the EU for inserting itself into talks between Microsoft and third-party product manufacturers. "Whether firms choose to take a license, and what kind of products they build with those licenses, is of course entirely up to them and outside the control of either Microsoft or any antitrust agency."